140 



THE GARDENS OF ITALY. 



On June ist he left Vienna on his return to Rome, from which he had with difficulty 

 remained so long away. His letters written at this time to the Cardinal express his continual 

 longing to get back. On his arrival at Trieste he was obliged to wait for a ship for Ancona, 

 and struck up an acquaintance with a stranger, who lodged next door to him in the inn. 

 Winckelmann. who was of a simple, open nature, took a liking to the man, talked freely to 

 him of his journey, and displayed a gold medal given to him by Maria Theresa, and, moreover, 

 admitted having a considerable sum of money in his possession. The stranger was a certain 

 Francesco Archangeli, a malefactor who had been condemned to death, but whose sentence had 









w& 





150.- 



-FOUNTAIN AND MOSAIC PAVEMENT. 



been commuted to banishment. One evening as Winckelmann sat writing in his room, working 

 on the last references of his forthcoming book, Archangeli came in, and, with many protestations 

 of regret, announced his impending departure. He begged the professor, as a last favour, to 

 show him his gold medal once more, in order that he might take away a final remembrance of it. 

 Winckelmann willingly agreed, and while he was stooping down to take it from his trunk the 

 villain stole up behind him and tried to strangle him with a cord. He resisted desperately, and 

 almost succeeded in throwing off the assassin, who thereupon drew a knife and stabbed him in 

 five places. Archangeli then fied. without, however, obtaining possession of the coveted medal 



